Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems, a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors, posted sales of $5.3 billion for 2024.

Percentage of sales:

• Refinish: $ 2.164 billion (~40%)

• Industrial: $1.291 billion (~24%)

• Mobility: $1.821 billion (~34%)

The company employs 12,800 people (including 1,300 scientists, engineers and technical experts).

Acquisitions and divestments:

In July 2024, Axalta successfully completed the acquisition of The CoverFlexx Group from Transtar Holding Company.

The CoverFlexx Group manufactures and sells coatings for automotive refinish and aftermarket applications, focused on economy customers in North America. The business offers a wide range of primers, basecoats and clearcoats, as well as aerosols, fillers, bedliners, detailing products and paint shop accessories. Established brands of The CoverFlexx Group include Transtar Autobody Technologies, Pro Form and Aftermkt Armor products. The CoverFlexx Group had revenue of $78 million in 2023 with operations that include more than 120 employees and manufacturing and product development sites in Brighton, Michigan and Milton, Ontario.

In 2024, Axalta shared the details of its three-year plan to create value by executing the “Axalta 2026 A-Plan,” which focuses on five growth tenets: cultural transformation, operational excellence, optimized portfolio strategy, sustainable innovation, and effective capital allocation. Axalta is focused on delivering the A Plan while continuing to operate efficiently, innovate and deliver for its customers.

Axalta Coating Systems, a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors, posted sales of $5.3 billion. Axalta reported that 34% of sales were in EMEA, 38% in North America, Asia Pacific was 16% and Latin America was 12%. By segment Performance Coatings (refinish and industrial) comprised 65% of sales and Mobility Coatings (light vehicle and commercial vehicle) comprised 35% of sales.

Axalta has an extensive color library which supports many high-profile, reputation building premium brands like Cromax, Standox, SpiesHecker, Syrox, and Raptor, as well as other regional and local brands.

2025 Success Stories:

Axalta has an incredible track record of launching new, or improving innovations, and this work does not go unnoticed. Just this year, Axalta was recognized externally numerous times, and we were awarded for our sustainable surface solutions.

For the seventh consecutive year Axalta has won two prestigious 2025 Edison Awards, demonstrating our impact to the industry:

• Axalta Irus Scan is the first handheld color measurement device for automotive coatings with three differentiated, patented measurement features – colored sparkle, hue-shifting pigments detection, and gloss, giving an accurate color match to a collision repair vehicle. Axalta Irus Scan is part of Axalta’s digital color management system and sets a new standard for productivity, accuracy, and waste reduction in the collision repair process.

• Axalta’s MyColor answers customers’ rapid demand for complex, custom colors that meet stringent requirements of performance, durability and application robustness. Its innovative color delivery process streamlines automotive OEM approvals, enabling custom colors in four weeks versus 26-104 weeks. Custom colors are made quickly in small batches using pre-blended bases and colorants, giving better inventory control, which can assist in reducing waste and the CO₂ footprint of the OEM’s paint shop.

Axalta also won the 2025 Automotive News PACE Pilot Award for NextJet™, an automotive digital paint technology that was named an “Innovation to Watch.”

Axalta received a 2025 BIG Innovation Award for our Voltatex® 8537PF (Industrial) won the 2025 BIG Innovation Award presented by the Business Intelligence Group (BIG). This annual business awards program recognizes organizations, products and people that bring new ideas to life in innovative ways. Axalta’s Voltatex® 8537PF is an organic-inorganic hybrid polyamide-imide wire enamel especially used for electric vehicles, wind turbines and other high performance electrical systems.

Axalta continues its partnership to drive innovation through its partnership with Dürr Systems AG, a leading mechanical and plant engineering firm, to provide a digital paint solution, combining Axalta’s NextJet™ technology with Dürr’s robotics integration. Digital paint, also referred to as overspray-free application, is an advanced paint application that allows for precise paint placement. Under the terms of the agreement, Dürr will serve as the robotics integrator for Axalta NextJet™ for light vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEM).

Axalta also unveiled the visionary, transformative Axalta Fellows Forum. This elite global network of distinguished Axalta Fellows will spearhead the identification and development of cutting-edge technologies and innovations, driving Axalta’s continued growth and market leadership.

In its eleventh year, Axalta announced its 2025 Global Automotive Color of the Year – Evergreen Sprint. The Color of the Year evokes the spirit of Axalta and helps to encompass our robust color story. Evergreen Sprint is a rich, deep forest green that pays homage to the legendary British racing green, a shade that has graced the finest racing machines and symbolizes speed and performance.

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems, a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors, posted sales of $5.2 billion for 2023. Axalta reported that 40% of sales were in EMEA, 39% in North America, Asia Pacific was 13% and Latin America was 8%. By segment Performance Coatings (refinish and industrial) comprised 65.7% of sales and Mobility Coatings (light vehicle and commercial vehicle) comprised 34.3% of sales.

The company has 47 manufacturing facilities located in 11 countries and employs 12,000 people. In November 2022 Axalta completed an immaterial bolt-on acquisition that has since operated within its Performance Coatings segment and is based in Europe.

Axalta’s key brands:

Axalta has a large color library and several well-known, long-standing premium brands, including Cromax, Standox, Spies Hecker, Syrox, and Raptor, as well as other regional and local brands.

Refinish includes Raptor, Dolphin, and Gold, among others. Its major Industrial brands include Imron Industrial, Tufcote Industrial, Corlar Industrial, Strenex Industrial, PercoTop, Voltatex, AquaEC, Durapon, Hydropon, UNRIVALED, and Ceranamel for liquid coatings and Alesta, Teodur, Nap-Gard, Abcite and Plascoat for powder coatings. The Mobility segment includes Harmonized Coating Technologies, including 3-Wet, Eco-Concept and 2-Wet Monocoat, that help its OEM customers lower costs by reducing energy consumption while increasing productivity. Its commercial vehicle brands include Imron, Imron Elite, Centari, Rival, Corlar epoxy undercoats and AquaEC, Irus Mix.

Axalta has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire The CoverFlexx Group from Transtar Holding Company for initial cash consideration of $285 million, plus an additional $10 million earnout based on the business’s 2024 performance. Closing is expected to occur in the third quarter and is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.

The CoverFlexx Group manufactures and sells coatings for automotive refinish and aftermarket applications, focused on economy customers in North America. The business offers a wide range of primers, basecoats and clearcoats, as well as aerosols, fillers, bedliners, detailing products and paint shop accessories. Established brands of The CoverFlexx Group include Transtar Autobody Technologies, Pro Form and Aftermkt Armor products. The CoverFlexx Group had revenue of $78 million in 2023 with operations that include more than 120 employees and manufacturing and product development sites in Brighton, Michigan and Milton, Ontario.

2023 Success Stories:

Axalta Coating Systems has won three 2024 Edison Awards. Axalta Irus Mix won silver in the Environmental and Industrial Solutions category. Axalta’s Voltatex 7345 A ECO Wire Enamel and its Low Carbon Footprint Sustainable Coating System with Hyperdur Primer and Chromadyne Colorcoat won silver and bronze, respectively, in the Coatings and Manufacturing category. This is the sixth consecutive year that Axalta has won prestigious Edison Awards.

“We are honored again to be an Edison Awards™ recipient, as it reflects our company’s focus on innovation,” said Dr. Robert Roop, Axalta’s chief technology officer. “These three remarkable solutions further showcase what our innovations can do for our customers. I want to recognize the entire Axalta team for their commitment to innovate smarter surface solutions for better living and a sustainable future.”

Edison Awards winners were recently announced at the 37th annual Edison Awards event in Fort Myers, Fla. They were chosen as the “best of the best” within their respective categories by some of the world’s top senior business executives, designers, academics, and innovation leaders.

Axalta Irus Mix is the first fully automated, completely hands-free paint mixing machine that delivers highly accurate color, maximizing efficiency in a body shop. Axalta Irus Mix uses innovative packaging made from 50% recycled plastic with precise dosing lids that dispenses paint without waste, boosting profitability and providing sustainable benefits to Refinish customers.

Axalta’s Voltatex 7345 A ECO Wire Enamel is a cresol-free, low hazard insulating varnish for magnet wires in motors, transformers, generators and other electrical devices that drive electrification in many areas of daily life. This high-performance material is easy to process, reduces risk to workers and contributes to an improved carbon footprint.

Axalta’s innovative Low Carbon Footprint Sustainable Coating System with Hyperdur® Primer and Chromadyne® Colorcoat reduces energy consumption by up to 21% and decreases CO2 emissions by up to 5% or 17 Kg per unit produced. This novel, sustainable coating system provides manufacturing flexibility while maintaining superior appearance.

Named after Thomas Edison, the Edison Awards have recognized and honored some of the most innovative new products, services and business leaders in the world since 1987.

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems, a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors, posted sales of $4.9 billion for 2022. Axalta reported that 41% of coatings sales were in North America. General and industrial maintenance comprised 29% of sales, auto refinish comprised 40% of sales, light vehicle comprised 24% and commercial vehicle comprised 8%. The company has 47  manufacturing facilities located in 11 countries and employs 12,000 people. In November 2022 Axalta completed an immaterial bolt-on acquisition that has since operated within its Performance Coatings segment and is based in Europe.

Axalta’s key brands

Axalta has a large color library and several well-known, long-standing premium brands, including Cromax, Standox, Spies Hecker, Syrox, and Raptor, as well as other regional and local brands.

Refinish includes Raptor, Dolphin, and Gold, among others. Its major Industrial brands include Imron Industrial, Tufcote Industrial, Corlar Industrial, Strenex Industrial, PercoTop, Voltatex, AquaEC, Durapon, Hydropon, UNRIVALED, and Ceranamel for liquid coatings and Alesta, Teodur, Nap-Gard, Abcite and Plascoat for powder coatings. The Mobility segment includes Harmonized Coating Technologies, including 3-Wet, Eco-Concept and 2-Wet Monocoat, that help its OEM customers lower costs by reducing energy consumption while increasing productivity. Its commercial vehicle brands include Imron, Imron Elite, Centari, Rival, Corlar epoxy undercoats and AquaEC, Irus Mix.

Two Scientists Elevated to Axalta Fellow

The company has elevated Dr. Mike Grady and Dr. Jeff Johnson to Axalta Fellow for their significant scientific accomplishments, technical leadership, and commercial contributions. Axalta Fellow is the highest honor that a scientist or engineer can earn within the company’s global Technology function.

Dr. Grady is Axalta’s leading expert in reaction engineering, polymer processing, reactor design, modeling, and optimization. For more than 40 years he has developed and improved Axalta’s resin processes for many coatings technologies. Dr. Grady has also initiated and driven fundamental research to advance higher temperature acrylic free-radical chemistry within Axalta and academia. His process innovations include significant improvements for making many of Axalta’s key resins including solution acrylics, polyesters, and oligomers for low VOC materials. He leads the global resin network of Technology and Operations process engineers and is instrumental in driving best practices and known solutions across Axalta’s laboratories and manufacturing sites. He serves as an adjunct professor at Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, and Rowan University. He earned a doctorate in chemical engineering from Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Switzerland.

Dr. Johnson is Axalta’s leading expert in resin synthesis. For more than 30 years he has developed innovative resins that enable multiple generations of new product development and commercialization, with broad customer and commercial impact across many OEM and industrial customers. Dr. Johnson is a subject matter expert for all resin classes at Axalta. His deep knowledge and fundamental understanding cover a variety of polymer architectures, including acrylic, epoxy, polyester, polyurethane, and silane chemistry. He has 89 granted patents spanning 14 countries that support commercial sales over the years.

Dr. Johnson’s impact goes beyond resin development. His extensive experience in entire value chain of product development lends him deep credibility with customers. He has also represented Axalta in many technical partnership programs. He earned a doctorate in organic chemistry from University of California –Los Angeles.

2022 Success Stories:

• Abcite 2060 Thermoplastic Flame Spray Powder Coating named a 2022 R&D 100 Award winner
• Axalta’s Spies Hecker full-waterborne repair system and Digital Paint coating technology for high-resolution images won Bronze 2022 Edison Awards
•  In 2022, Axalta won the Innovation in Costs and Excellence in Direct Purchase category in CAOA Chery’s annual Best Supplier Awards

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems, a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors, posted sales of $4.4 billion for 2021. Refinish comprised 40% of sales, Industrial was 30%; Light Vehicle was 23% and Commercial Vehicle was 7%. Axalta has 47 manufacturing locations in 11 countries producing liquid or powder coatings, 48 customer training facilities globally, and employs approximately 12,000 people.

During 2021, Axalta acquired U-POL Holdings Limited, a leading manufacturer of repair and refinish products used primarily for automotive refinish and aftermarket protective applications. The business produces a wide range of high-quality automotive refinishing products including fillers, aerosols, and adhesives as well as industry leading protective coatings. UPOL sells its products in over 100 countries and is widely known for its leading brands, including Raptor, Dolphin and Gold, among others. In addition, Axalta acquired a producer of wire enamels used in a range of consumer electronics, electric vehicle and industrial applications, based in China.

Axalta’s key brands

Axalta has a large color library and several well-known premium brands, including Cromax, Standox, Spies Hecker, Syrox and Raptor, as well as other regional and local brands. Refinish includes Raptor, Dolphin and Gold, among others. Its major Industrial brands include Imron Industrial, Tufcote Industrial, Corlar Industrial, Strenex Industrial, PercoTop, Voltatex, AquaEC, Durapon, Hydropon, UNRIVALED and Ceranamel for liquid coatings and Alesta, Teodur, Nap-Gard, Abcite and Plascoat for powder coatings.

The Mobility segment includes Harmonized Coating Technologies, including 3-Wet, Eco-Concept and 2-Wet Monocoat, that help OEM customers lower costs by reducing energy consumption while increasing productivity. Its commercial vehicle brands include Imron, Imron Elite, Centari, Rival, Corlar epoxy undercoats and AquaEC.

Axalta introduced 50 new broad product innovations, hundreds of product customizations and new color formulas in 2021. Axalta’s Spies Hecker Waterborne Full System was launched in China. This new auto refinish coating system brings world-class technology to the Chinese refinishing industry by providing a sustainable collision repair system including a waterborne primer, basecoat and clearcoat solution.

Awards: 

• 2021 Global Commercial Vehicle Coatings Company of the Year – Frost & Sullivan
• 2021 GM Supplier of the Year, Paint Category
• 2021 America’s Most Responsible Companies – Newsweek
• Three 2021 Bronze Edison Awards for: Innovative Services, Sustainability, Engineering & Materials Science.
• Axalta’s Radar Transmission Simulator (ARTS) with Color Palette Optimizer for Autonomous Vehicles was named a winner in the 2022 BIG Innovation Awards presented by the Business Intelligence Group (BIG).

Axalta Develops Halogen-free Flame Retardant Thermoplastic Anti-corrosion Solution

Axalta recently launched Plascoat PPA571 FR (Flame-Retardant), a new anti-corrosion coating solution designed to protect buildings and save lives in the event of fires.

Drawing on decades of experience in thermoplastic technology, Axalta has developed this new coating solution in response to the dual threats of fires and toxic fumes which pose a major threat to human life and well being. Such coatings, which can be deployed in a range of environments, are fire-resistant  and act as a barrier to additional damage caused by the spread of flames.

Unlike many other flame retardant solutions available on the market, Plascoat PPA571 FR does not contain a halogen constituent, such as chlorine or bromine, which helps to eliminate the presence of toxic fumes and their associated negative environmental impact.

Plascoat PPA571 FR’s fire-retardant and low toxicity credentials are evidenced by its compliance with a number of industry certifications, including  British Standard 476,  EN 45545-2 European Railway Standard for Fire Safety, British Standard 6853, International Maritime Organization FTPC standard, UL 94 -Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances. Recognition by independent organizations underlines the strength of Plascoat PPA571 FR’s performance capability and suitability for use in a range of environments.

Plascoat PPA571 FR delivers robust protection against sun, salt and sea water, in conjunction with excellent impact and sand abrasion resistance, to provide outstanding performance and aesthetics for steel, iron and aluminum substrates.

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems, a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors, posted sales of $3.7 billion for 2020. Performance Coatings comprised $2.52 billion in sales, Transportation Coatings (Mobility Coatings as of 2021) comprised $1.22 billion, Refinish $1.45 billion, Industrial $1.1 billion, Light Vehicle $960.5 million and Commercial Vehicle $260.7 million. Axalta has 46 manufacturing locations globally producing liquid or powder coatings, 48 customer training facilities globally, and employs approximately 14,000 people.

Axalta’s key brands
Refinish: Cromax, Spies Hecker, Standox, Challenger, Duxone, Metalux, Nason, Nason XL
Industrial: Imron Industrial, Volatex, Tufcote, AquaE, Corlar,
PercoTop, Ultraguard, Hydropon, Ganicin, Alesta, Abcite,
Napgard, Plascoat
Transportation: ChromaDyne, HyperDur, HyperDyne,
Lumeera, Imron

New Product Launch

• Advanced Color Proofing – allows collision customers to view paint colors and digitally rotate them on 3D vehicle renderings
• AquaECTM 3500 EP – a new environmentally responsible, cathodic tin-free electrocoat primer
• Universal Titan Solventborne Primer and Enamel – designed to meet the high performance/high aesthetic demands of the kitchen cabinet market
• SupraSand High Build Epoxy Primer PercoTop® CS388 – high-build epoxy primer that decreases drying and sanding times by 50%,
• Imron® Elite ColorPLUS – a premium coating system designed specifically for the new and complicated paint schemes of recreational vehicles
• Spies Hecker Waterbone Clearcoat Solution – released to customers in the Chinese, Korean and Japanese auto refinish markets
• Cromax XP – easy-to-use solventborne basecoat that delivers outstanding coverage, color match, and final appearance.

2020 Success Story – A Breakthrough innovation

Axalta’s LiDAR Gonio-Retroreflectometer System (ALGRS) is a patented optical system technology that measures the LiDAR reflectivity of vehicle coatings for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or autonomous vehicles. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, especially emergency braking, pedestrian detection and collision avoidance, are anticipated to depend heavily on LiDAR technology to improve vehicle safety and enable advanced levels of vehicle autonomy. ALGRS allows Axalta’s chemists and designers to create LiDAR-compatible coatings without compromising appearance or color. ALGRS has been recognized as a significant innovation in the coating autonomous vehicles and was named a 2020 R&D 100 Award Winner and is a finalist for the 2021 Edison Awards.

Current LiDAR measurement systems do not measure retroreflectance and therefore cannot assess all the angles that exist on automotive vehicles today. ALGRS allows measurement at all viewing angles and therefore provides a more accurate validation of the reflectivity measurement. This is vital for the development of safe autonomous vehicles. Because current units scan surfaces at long distances, the area that needs to measured is large. These current systems cannot measure many small samples and many varieties of colors. Thus, a device was needed to measure lab-painted samples at LiDAR wavelengths at a variety of angles. The ALGRS technology characterizes laboratory scale coating samples and allows

Axalta’s scientists to develop new colors that are detectable by LiDAR systems so Axalta can better serve its customers.

As the trend toward higher levels of vehicle autonomy continues, ensuring a vehicle is detectable by these systems is just as important as what a vehicle can detect. Both Axalta’s 2020 and 2021 Automotive Color of the Year, “Sea Glass” and “ElectroLight”, respectively, showcased this concept.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems like emergency braking and collision avoidance depend heavily on LiDAR technology to improve vehicle safety and advance autonomous vehicles. The novel coatings analysis provided by Axalta’s LiDAR Gonio-Retroreflectometer System has enabled new color development and formulation procedures that assure LiDAR detectability of painted coatings over the wide range of traffic conditions that exist in the autonomous environment. ALGRS represents a major advancement in the technologies that will be required to attain high levels of vehicle autonomy in a safe and responsible manner.

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems, a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors, posted sales of $4.5 billion for 2019. Transportation Coatings (light vehicle OEM and commercial vehicles) comprised $1.6 billion of sales; Performance Coatings (industrial and refinish) comprised $2.92 billion. Axala has 50 manufacturing locations globally producing liquid or powder coatings, 48 customer training facilities globally, and employs approximately 14,000 people.

Axalta’s key brands

Refinish: Cromax, Spies Hecker, Standox, Challenger, Duxone, Metalux, Nason, Nason XL
Industrial: Imron Industrial, Volatex, Tufcote, AquaE, Corlar,
PercoTop, Ultraguard, Hydropon, Ganicin, Alesta, Abcite,
Napgard, Plascoat
Transporation: ChromaDyne, HyperDur, HyperDyne,
Lumeera, Imron

New Product Launch

Axalta introduced Voltatex 4224, an innovative high-thermal conductivity impregnating resin that delivers significant improvements in thermal conductivity to enable higher motor efficiency and reduces the weight of an electrical motor by more than 15 percent, according to customer feedback. It increases performance by conducting thermal energy as quickly as possible while reducing thermal stress by up to 30°C, which is important for use in high-performance electric motors such as those in vehicles, trains and windmills.

Voltatex 4224 won both the R&D 100 Award and the Gold Edison Award in the Material Science and Engineering category.

Manufactured with renewable raw materials, Voltatex 4224 enables a smaller motor size to perform at equivalent levels as larger motors. Running motors at lower temperatures can increase motor lifetime and downsizing motors allows for the reduction of weight, both leading to a sustainability benefit.

From Solvent-borne to Waterborne Coatings

Robert Roop, VP, chief technology officer
Joanne Hardy, global director, Research and Development

Over the last decade, the market for waterborne coatings has grown exponentially. Waterborne coatings provide our industry and customers with a solution that keeps appearance looking superior while offering environmental benefits, such as reduced carbon dioxide and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.

Three important examples of Axalta’s leadership in waterborne innovation occurred in 2019, including:

• Axalta’s Refinish business launched its first-ever two-component premium waterborne sealer – Spies Hecker Permahyd 2K Sealer 5650 – which offers customers the next generation of waterborne technology and reduces application time by up to 75 percent according to Axalta’s proprietary research. With just a single application and blowers to dry, the total application time is reduced to five minutes or less compared to approximately 20 minutes with traditional products. This eco-friendly product offers Axalta’s collision center customers the opportunity to get more cars through the spray booth in less time, resulting in improved sustainability, productivity, cycle time, and cash flow.
• Axalta’s Wood Coatings business launched the UNRIVALED Prefinish program, a premium waterborne coating system designed for customers that pre-finish house siding prior to delivery. When compared to other products and technologies in the market, UNRIVALED Prefinsh gives customers a competitive edge in quality, consistency and performance by requiring 17 percent less paint for the same film build versus other products. The UNRIVALED Prefinish program is backed by a top-tier 30-year warranty.
• Axalta’s Transporation business launched AquaC 6000, a new waterborne electrocoat for the automotive market that provides improved throw-power, reduced bake-off loss, improved appearance and superior aluminum corrosion resistance. The low-temperature curing properties of the AquaEC® 6100 technology help reduce energy costs. AquaEC® 6100 is an industry leader in bake loss, resulting in less film shrinkage and increased coverage per gallon of paint.

Axalta will continue to innovate in this area and remains committed to providing environmentally friendly solutions for our customers around the world.

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems is a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors. The company posted sales of $4.7 billion for 2018. Transportation Coatings (light vehicle OEM and commercial vehicles) comprised $1.7 billion of sales and Performance Coatings (industrial and refinish) comprised $3 billion. The company currently employs approximately 14,000 people and has 50 manufacturing locations globally, producing liquid or powder coatings. Axalta has a total of 47 customer training facilities globally

During the year ended Dec. 31, 2018, Axalta successfully completed seven strategic acquisitions, including two based in Asia Pacific, two based in North America, and three based in Europe, all of which benefited its Performance Coatings segment.

State of the Coatings Industry – Autonomous Vehicles

Barry Snyder, SVP, CTO and interim chief supply chain officer.

Axalta is fully invested in building the autonomous future, and reflective coatings serve as a key enabler of getting us there.

Reflectivity is a key component behind LiDAR, a crucial technology used to power self-driving cars. Self-driving cars use laser lights that bounce off objects to detect them – like radar or sonar. Different colors have different levels of reflectivity. True white is 100 percent reflective, meaning all the light bounces back, and true black is zero percent reflective, meaning all the light is absorbed by the object.

According to Axalta’s 2018 Global Automotive Color Popularity Report, solid white and pearl or effect white coatings are the world’s most popular colors at 38 percent of all cars painted. This number has grown over the past seven years, where in 2012, only 23 percent of the world’s cars were white shades. This data led to the selection of our 2018 Automotive Color of the Year, StarLite, a light and reflective shade of white formulated with synthetic pearl flakes to create an eye-catching pearlescent effect, and 100 percent compatible with the needs of an autonomous vehicle future.

While the data shows promising growth, our report ultimately shows that customers care about the color of their vehicles. This sacrifice of color choice may impact the adoption rate of self-driving cars in the future. Of the 263 million vehicles in the United States, we believe that more than 60 percent of them are not 100 percent reflective.

In fact, 18 percent of the world’s cars are black. Colors that contain black pigments are thought to be very aesthetically pleasing. But black coatings are less than two percent reflective and the sensors on an autonomous car 200 meters away would not be able to detect a black vehicle. Currently, the minimum “sight” distance for LiDAR to achieve safe autonomy at highway speeds is 200 meters. The current technology is good but not perfect – and it may take 15-20 years before fully autonomous.

2018 Success Story:

In November 2018, Axalta celebrated the opening of its Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Philadelphia, PA, the largest color and coatings R&D center in the world. The 175,000-square-foot Center is now the central hub for Axalta’s global research, product development, and technology initiatives. At the GIC, more than 200 engineers and scientists develop Axalta’s most innovative coatings products in the world for automobiles, buildings, motorcycles, football helmets, appliances, trucks, and many other items used in people’s lives every day.  The company’s innovative coatings are virtually everywhere.

Axalta’s GIC is in Philadelphia’s historic Navy Yard, which is the City’s hub for innovation. The GIC’s proximity to other of Axalta’s key local sites, including the company’s global and North American headquarters, enables collaboration among Axalta employees, business partners, and customers throughout the Philadelphia area, the country, and the world.

“Axalta’s team of scientists and technicians at the Global Innovation Center will develop next-generation coatings products and keep pace with emerging application needs,” said Barry Snyder, Axalta’s chief technology officer. “Regulations and customer demands call for newer, technologically advanced coatings. The increasing use of lightweight plastic and composite materials in vehicles to save fuel requires new coatings formulations. Developing products to suit these and other needs will be the mission of the Global Innovation Center and Axalta’s worldwide research and development network.”

Whether in color technology, polymer and formulation chemistry, or application knowledge, the world-class capabilities and talent at Axalta’s GIC will fuel new products and deliver the solutions necessary to delight customers and drive growth at Axalta.

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems is a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors. The company posted sales of $4.4 billion for 2017. Transportation Coatings (light vehicle OEM and commercial vehicles) comprised $1.678 billion of sales and Performance Coatings (industrial and refinish) comprised $2.675 billion. The company currently employs approximately 13,300 people and has 51 manufacturing locations globally, producing liquid or powder coatings. Axalta has a total of 47 customer training facilities globally. The company made a number of acquisitions and divestitures.

Key Acquisitions:

• Ellis Paint Company
• Century Industrial Coatings
• Valspar Industrial Wood Coatings business
• Spencer Coatings Group
• Plascoat Systems Limited

Axalta has commissioned construction of a new 10,200-square-meter Australian headquarters in Marsden Park, in Western Sydney. The facility will house corporate offices, a training facility, and a warehouse and distribution center for up to 50 employees. Scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2019, the facility will serve the company’s refinish and commercial vehicle customers, light vehicle OEMs, and industrial and military customers in the region.

Company Success Story  

In 2017, Axalta introduced Cromax EZ waterborne basecoat to collision shops in North America.  Cromax EZ rounds out Axalta’s waterborne basecoat offering in North America by offering customers a choice between a highly productive waterborne basecoat, Spies Hecker Permahyd Hi-TEC, and an easy to use waterborne basecoat, Cromax EZ.

Cromax EZ is a great solution for shops who want to move to a waterborne refinish system but want something easy to use.  The transition to this waterborne basecoat is seamless because EZ uses the same coat-flash application customers have already mastered with solventborne.

EASY TO MIX

In addition to spraying almost exactly as solvent basecoats, Cromax EZ is incredibly easy to mix.  Easy-to-handle “no-mix” toners and a single reducer and mix ratio across all formula types and environmental conditions, regardless color being mixed, will minimize the chance of mixing or pouring errors.

Additionally, Cromax EZ’s undercoats and clearcoats share a family of activators that can be applied across a wide range of application temperatures.  This greatly reduces complexity for the painter while reducing a body shop’s activator inventory by nearly 50 percent, saving both time and money.

EASY TO MATCH

Cromax EZ offers a full range of color tools to get the job done quickly and easily. With a chromatically sorted 5,500+ color chips and an industry-leading 3-piece tri-coat fan deck set, customers can easily find color at a glance. And, with over 24,000 formulas, state-of-the-art color tools can provide a match for any paint color, no matter the vehicle’s make, model, or age.

EASY TO APPLY

By now, it’s clear that Cromax EZ is extremely easy to apply, but a solvent-like application and blending process is only the start of its advantage.  Cromax EZ is easy to repair, too.  If during the refinish process, the basecoat is compromised by dirt or any minor mishap, EZ dries extremely hard, allowing quick and easy sanding to repair.  As soon as the basecoat is matte, customers quickly sand out the defect, bridge with paint, and continue as if the defect never happened.

In the case of Cromax EZ, simple doesn’t mean slow. EZ has outstanding coverage so very few colors will exceed 2.5 coats, plus EZ’s harder film means no need to wait an additional 15 minutes after matte before applying clearcoat like most waterborne basecoats. Fewer coats, no added wait before clear, and quick easy repair, means lower paint consumption and faster booth cycles.

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems  is a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors. The company posted sales of $4.1 billion for 2016. Transportation Coatings (light vehicle OEM and commercial vehicles) comprised $1.67 billion of sales and Performance Coatings (industrial and refinish) comprised $2.403 billion.

The company currently employs approximately 13,000 people and has 16 locations in Asia-Pacific, 12 in Europe, Middle East and Africa, ten locations in North America and eight locations in Latin America (including Mexico) – producing liquid or powder coatings.

The company made a number of acquisitions and divestitures. Some key highlight for 2016 include:

• Acquired High Performance Coating (HIPIC) in Southeast Asia (2016)
• Acquired Automotive Interiors business of United Paint in North America (2016)
• Acquired coil coatings business of Dura Coat Products, Inc. in North America (2016)
• Acquired Ellis Paint for North America (2017)
• Acquired Century Paint for North America (2017)

In 2016, Axalta Coating Systems celebrated its 150th anniversary as a coatings leader. Axalta said this was an exciting year for the company and the Industrial coatings segment. High performance coatings supplied to the architectural and building construction market has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments in the Industrial coatings market. Customers are looking for companies with a comprehensive portfolio, that can meet all their needs, globally. Axalta has made significant progress in expanding its product offerings to meet the growing demand of this segment and its customers.

In June, Axalta purchased a majority stake in Dura Coat Products Inc., a prominent manufacturer of coatings for the metal coil and liquid extrusion markets in North America.  Axalta prides itself on overcoming customer challenges through innovation and customer service excellence, two key areas on which Dura Coat has developed a legacy and leadership position within the coil market. Their innovative product lines are formulated to suit a variety of building construction needs, general industrial applications and coating of aluminum extrusions.  Axalta now offers Dura Coat brands for the metal roofing industry to our customers. Some of the brands include Durapon 70, a premium PVDF coating that is formulated to be harder and more flexible than other PVDF coatings, Ceranamel XT-40S, a super durable polyester formulated with select inorganic and ceramic pigments, and Hydropon, a water-based, air-dry PVDF coating. Dura Coat also collaborated with its customer Coatings Metal Group last year to design a special wrinkle-textured polyester version of XT40S, called Krypt-Stone, which will give a unique, textured appearance, enhanced abrasion resistance and increased scratch-resistance during installation.

In addition, Axalta revamped its offerings complementary to those served by Dura Coat, including leading global powder coatings brands Alesta and Abcite, AquaEC electrocoat products and Imron Industrial coatings which each provide customers in the construction, architectural, and general industrial sectors with durable coatings formulated to protect, increase productivity and add beauty. In 2016, Axalta introduced a Global Warranty program for its premium line of Alesta architectural powder coatings providing a unique and consistent program to specifiers and façade fabricators through Axalta’s approved applicators, from 15-30 years respectively. Axalta responded to customers seeking brighter metallic options with the new ICONICA Alesta Super Durable powder coating collection, which was designed with architects and industrial designers in mind and will launch officially in the first half of 2017. The collection will be heavily comprised of Alesta FX technology bonded metallic products that provide outstanding ease of application and are produced in brand new, state-of-the-art facilities in Europe and China.

Due to these efforts, Axalta coatings were chosen for projects such as King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah – Saudi, The Signature Tower in Kuala Lumpur, which will be the tallest building in southeast Asia, Bishopsgate 22 in London and the Philharmonie De Paris concert hall, among others. Axalta expects to add more of these projects to our portfolio in 2017.

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems  is a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors. The company posted sales of $4.1 billion for 2015. Transportation Coatings (light vehicle OEM and commercial vehicles) comprised $1.702 billion of sales and Performance Coatings (industrial and refinish) comprised $2.385 billion.

The company currently employs approximately 12,800 people and has 12 locations in Asia-Pacific, nine in Europe, Middle East and Africa, ten locations in North America and seven locations in Latin America (including Mexico) – producing liquid or powder coatings.

The company launched a number of new products to market. Some key highlight for 2015 include:

• Abcite powder coatings, which received NSF/ANSI 61 certification for use in drinking water system componets
• Launched new epoxy primer TRPE35 for the trailer industry
• Voltatex 4204 electrical insulation coatings receive UL global certification
• Launched new Rival products for economy commercial transportation market
• Launch Ganicin zinc-rich coatings.

Success Story

Michael Cash, President Industrial Coatings

Axalta Coating Systems

In 2016, Axalta Coating Systems is celebrating its 150th year anniversary as a coatings leader. This is an important milestone for our company, as it reinforces our decades of experience in the industry and, just as importantly, our ability to use that foundation for future growth.

In addition to being able to provide our customers with innovative colors and improved performance of our paint coatings, we are able to offer comprehensive support in understanding what their customers are looking for, what their competition can currently offer and help bridge that gap to play an important role in helping our customers gain new business. We’ve been able to mirror this in the industrial coatings segment by launching a significant number of new products, new warranties and new customer programs in the segments we have focused upon over the past year. Our extensive Alesta, Abcite and Nap-Gard powder products along with AquaEC electrocoats, Imron industrial coatings, Ganicin primers and Voltatex Energy Solutions liquid coatings met different niches around the world and have opened up new business opportunities for our customers.

Last year also continued Axalta’s investment for growth story.  We commissioned two major expansions that will increase our capacity to produce waterborne coatings, one in the Jiading district of Shanghai and the other at what is already our largest operations center in Wuppertal, Germany.  We also announced two major investments that will support Axalta’s product research and development.  At The Navy Yard in Philadelphia Axalta will construct a Global Innovation Center which will be the hub of our global research, process development and customer support technologies.  We also began construction on a new Technology Center in Shanghai.

It’s an exciting time to be in the coatings industry. Our established focus on scientific and technological development has allowed us to solve increasingly complex coating problems, and offer our customers innovative new products and services.

In Industrial Coatings, our Energy Solutions impregnating resins are used to protect more than 55 percent of electric vehicles, globally. We’ve recently introduced a tin-free technology used in our electrocoat coating AquaEC 6100, to help meet environmental goals. The U.S.-made AquaEC 6100 E-Coat also received Caterpillar approval to their specification 1E2732F. Our products help meet sustainability goals across our Transportation Coatings operations as well. The growing popularity of our waterborne coatings fulfills the increasing interest in low emission coating technology among light vehicle OEMs. Our high solids solventborne coatings enable customers to use existing facilities, including those in China, while still lowering their impact on the environment. As the automotive sector incorporates new substrates to help light-weight vehicles, we’ve moved with them by offering coatings that are formulated for use over plastics and composites.

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems  is a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors. The company posted sales of $4.36 billion for 2014. Transportation Coatings (light vehicle OEM and commercial vehicles) comprised $1.78 billion of sales and Performance Coatings (industrial and refinish) comprised $2.59 billion. The company currently employs approximately 12,600 people and has 12 locations in Asia-Pacific, nine in Europe, Middle East and Africa, seven locations in North America and seven locations in Latin America (including Mexico) – producing liquid or powder coatings.

The year 2014 saw a number of milestones for Axalta. “None stands out more than our IPO on November 12,” said  Michael Cash, SVP and president, Industrial Coatings. “Our decision to go public reflected our confidence in our business, our customers’ commitment to our products and services, and the technology that will serve us in the future.  A key strategy in response to our customer commitment was a series of investments made in 2014 that would position us to serve our customers in the years to come. In China, we broke ground to expand capacity to produce waterborne paint. The expanding footprint of OEMs in southern and western China coupled with regulations that require new manufacturing plants to use waterborne coatings created a clear opportunity to enhance our ability to meet anticipated customer demand. In Germany, we began construction to increase waterborne coatings for both OEM and refinish customers across the region.  We continued our expansion plans at our operations center in Guarulhos, Brazil. Construction began in Mexico to expand capacity to produce resins for transportation coatings.”

Success Story

By Michael Cash, Senior Vice President and President, Industrial Coatings

Axalta is setting the pace for the major trends in the coatings industry from the development of formulations designed to meet specifications demanded by the newest light weight composite vehicle substrates to low-VOC and waterborne coatings designed to meet, and exceed, the latest environmental regulations.  In addition to meeting the challenges of the vehicle coatings markets, the end-markets served by Axalta’s industrial coatings present exciting opportunities for a number of our brands.

Increasingly, to meet growing demand, industrial products are being developed on a global R&D basis even if production occurs at a local level.  In 2014, Axalta took significant steps to reposition our portfolio for growth with two key strategic directions in order to position ourselves much more closely to our customers and match their global footprint.

First, we leveraged brands that were well established in one region and launched them on a global scale.  To meet market growth in the global architectural arena, we began the roll out of the Alesta Global Color Collection on a truly global scale, and we expanded the reach of Abcite thermosetting coatings with a product launch in China. The demand for electrical insulation products also is expected to see growth to support both the demand for large scale power generating equipment and the increased use of batteries in hybrid and all electric vehicles. We introduced Voltatex electrical insulation products in China.

Second, and to complement the globalization of existing brands, we repositioned and added products to some of our existing franchises. We introduced AquaEC as the new name for our existing portfolio of anodic and cathodic electrocoat products. We also added Alesta ZeroZinc to our family of Alesta powder coatings as a product with a reduced environmental footprint. We introduced a next generation C5 electrical steel varnish – Voltatex 1250V. We also launched Voltatex 1262 for special applications in large hydro and turbo generators where no formaldehyde degassing is desired.

Meeting global customer demand and trends will always be one of the driving strategies at Axalta and enable us to ensure that we are delivering on our promise to our customers.  Our goal is to provide the most innovative coating solutions and work closely with our customers to provide consistent and top-quality service in every part of the world. Our efforts in 2014 have positioned us well to meet our customers’ growing requirements and growing demand around the world in the years ahead.

Markets Served: Automotive OEM, Collision repair, Industrial Coatings, Commercial Transportation

Axalta Coating Systems (formerly DuPont Performance Coatings) is a global supplier of coatings to the transportation and industrial sectors. The company posted sales of $4.3 billion for 2013.

Axalta moved its Corporate and North America headquarters to Pennsylvania and opened new regional headquarters for Asia Pacific in Shanghai. The company globally launched Cromax as the name of one of Axalta’s leading refinish brand families that includes products such as Cromax Pro, Chroma Premier, ChromaBase and Centari. Along with a bold new logo that visually conveys the spirit of the brand, the launch of Cromax is part of Axalta’s on-going commitment to its customers to be built for performance.

This year Axalta also introduced f Nap-Gard 7-2555, which can withstand continuous operating temperatures of 155°C (311°F).  Nap-Gard High Tg 7-2555 is a thermosetting epoxy powder designed for use as a corrosion barrier coating for underground and sub-sea pipelines that operate in high temperature service.
The company also launched Cromax Mosaic in the U.S. and Canada, a new fully featured solvent basecoat for collision repair to help provide outstanding coverage, color match and blendability. Cromax Mosaic was designed to provide an excellent alternative to waterborne coatings and meet applicable regulations for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in most U.S. jurisdictions and Canada.

2013 Success Story

The year 2013 was a year of milestones for Axalta.

In February, Axalta became an independent company and took on a new name and new visual identity. In May, Axalta announced a $50 million investment to boost production of waterborne coatings in China. Its new pilot reactor began operations in its global R&D center in the U.S.  Axalta introduced Cromax as the name one of Axalta’s leading refinish brand families, opened new global offices and before the year was over introduced the next generation high temperature tolerant Nap-Gard FBE powder coating for deep sea oil and gas pipelines. Axalta strengthened and refocused its management team to serve its customers by appointing new global presidents for its OEM and Industrial businesses to reflect and provide enhanced service for the organizations that many of its global customers have established to run their businesses.